Absorbent jacket for pail and pail having absorbent jacket



G. C. BELL Jan. l, 1957 ABSORBENT JACKET FOR FAIL AND FAIL. HAVING ABSORBENT JACKET Filed OCT.. 1l, 1955 Fig. 3.

I '11"EZN'T0R. George C/arence Bell las B" mom-MMM ATTORNEY nite tates Patent dice 2,775,872 atented Jan. l, 1957 ABSORBENT JACKET FOR PAIL AND PAIL HAVING ABSORBENT JACKET George Clarence Bell, Greenwood, S. C.

Application October 11, 1955, Serial No. 539,884

1 Claim. (Cl. 62-91) My invention relates to an absorbent jacket to be applied to a pail or bucket holding minnows or the like and to the pail or bucket equipped with such jacket.

An important object of the invention is to provide a jacket which is absorbent and when rendered wet with water, and when the evaporation of the water occurs, due to breezes or the like, the evaporation of the water will reduce the temperature of the water within the pail or bucket.

A further object of the invention is to provide an absorbent jacket which is circumferentially extensible so that it may be applied to pails or buckets of different sizes and will be properly held in place thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide an absorbent jacket of the above-mentioned character which is of Simple construction and cheap to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout same,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a jacket embodying my invention, applied to a minnow holding pail or bucket, with the lid of the jacket closed,

Figure 2 is a similar View, with the lid of the jacket o en,

pFigure 3 is a side elevation of the jacket, parts in vertical longitudinal section and parts broken away, and

Figure 4 is a similar view showing a modified form of jacket.

In the drawings, Where for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral designates a pail or bucket for holding minnows or the like, which is preferably cylindrical and has a bottom 11. The pail or bucket has an annular top portion 12, having an opening 13, to be closed by a removable cover section 14. The numeral 13' designates a handle, secured to apertured knuckles 14', carried by the pail or bucket.

I provide an absorbent jacket including a tubular body portion 15, which may be formed of thick fibrous or textile material, such as is used in making Turkish towels. I may use felt or any other relatively thick textile material. The tubular body portion, when distended, has

a diameter larger than the pail or bucket 10 and it is` circumferentially contracted when applied to the pail -or bucket and is crimped or folded during this contraction, which tends to increase its thickness or absorbent area. At its top and bottom, the body portion 15 may be folded upon itself and stitched together, as shown at 16, to form hems 17. These hems hold annular elastic bands 18. These bands are adapted to be stretched to circumferentially extend the body portion 15 and when the bands retract, the body portion 15 is held snugly upon the pail or bucket` 10. Each band 18 may be stitched to the body portion 15, when the band and body portion are distended, by longitudinal lines of stitching 17', but these lines of stitching may be dispensed with. The bands 18 are, of course, annular. Instead of employing the elastic bands 18, I may use non-elastic drawstrings.

The jacket includes a cover 19 formed of the same absorbent iibrous material and this cover is attached to the body portion 15 adjacent to the hem 17 by a flexible fabric strip 20, secured to these parts.

In Figure 4, l provide a tubular body portion 15 corresponding to the body portion 15 and a cover 19 corresponding to the cover 19 and secured to the body portion 15 by a flexible strip 21. The body portion 15 and cover 19 are formed of elastic absorbent material, such as sponge rubber or hygroscopic sponge. This material is highly absorbent and, being elastic, will stretch to receive the body portion 10 and will yhold the body portion 15' snugly against the body portion 10.

In the use of the device shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, the pail or bucket 10 is partly lled with water and the minnows are placed within the water. The body portion 15 of the jacket is applied to the pail or bucket, as indicated. The pail or bucket, with the jacket applied thereto, is dipped into the water and, being highly absorbent, will become wet or saturated with the water. When the water evaporates from the jacket, due to breezes or the like, the evaporation will reduce the temperature of the body portion 10 and water therein, thus reducing the temperature of the water within the pail or bucket, thus prolonging the life of the minnow within the pail or bucket.

It is to be understood that the forms of my invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A water absorbent cooling jacket adapted to receive and cover a pail holding minnows or the like comprising a substantially seamless open ended tubular body portion of flexible water absorbent textile material, said body portion being somewhat larger in diameter than the pail when fully distended and adapted to be circumferentially contracted when applied to the pail and to be crimped or pleated during contraction to thereby increase the thickness of the jacket as well as its effective absorbent area, a tubular annular hem formed upon each end of said body portion and adjacent the ends of the pail, and a retractile annular elastic band enclosed within each tubular hem and adapted to be stretched so that the body portion may be applied over the pail, said elastic bands retracting to hold the body portion snugly upon the pail at the ends of the pail, the body portion being substantially crimped or pleated and loosely engaging the pail in its entire region between said elastic bands and tubular hems.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,465,497 Tandy Aug. 21, 1923 1,579,560 Moore Apr. 6, 1926 1,664,702 Osborn Apr. 3, 1928 1,803,393 Jones May 5, 1931 2,059,511 Engleman Nov. 3, 1936 2,100,894 Anderson Nov. 30, 1937 

